Project Details
Description
Ives, Milewski
The two investigators train a long-term (2-year)
collaborative group of 4 undergraduates working on a suite of
problems in mathematical biology. One of the investigators is a
biologist, and the other is an applied mathematician, yet both
have collaborated with researchers from the other discipline.
The investigators work collaboratively with 4 undergraduates and
address aspects of at least three problems at the interface of
biology and mathematics: (1) Why do periodical cicadas have long,
prime-numbered periods? (2) Why do pineapples, pinecones (and
many other plants) display patterns with Fibonnaci sequences?
and (3) How does the functioning of ecosystems change as they
collapse via species extinctions? These three questions are an
exciting starting point for the collaborative group, and they are
selected to both keep the interest of the students and take life
through the collaborative process.
Although some areas of biology (ecology in particular) have
luminous histories of partnership with mathematics, the current
explosion of theoretical and technological advances in both
fields has upped the ante for interdisciplinary work. To work at
the interface between biology and mathematics, more scientists
need to be trained in both fields, and trained in how to connect
the fields. Recognizing that a single person cannot span the gap
between fields effectively, future scientists must also be
trained to work collaboratively. Using collaborative learning
groups for undergraduates fosters interdisciplinary thinking for
the participating undergraduates and the investigators. It also
serves as a model for training undergraduates to do research at
the interface between disciplines.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 4/15/04 → 3/31/07 |
Funding
- National Science Foundation: $95,200.00